


Richie's got a date!

by Pansexualweirdo



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Attempt at Humor, Awkward Dates, Closeted Character, Double Dating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Disaster Richie Tozier, Jealousy, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentioned Losers Club (IT), Minor Original Character(s), Mutual Pining, One Shot, Period-Typical Homophobia, Richie/Eddie-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23665711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pansexualweirdo/pseuds/Pansexualweirdo
Summary: Excerpt from the fic: “Wait, so no one else knows? Not even Bev?”“No, Eddie, no one else knows I’m a raging fucking homosexual!” Richie snapped, his volume quickly rising in an instinct to defend himself.Or; Richie is dared to ask a girl out and prove he's not gay. Things get messy when Eddie suggests they do a double date. Set in a Pennywise-free universe (: Enjoy!
Relationships: Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak & Original Female Characters, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier & Original Female Characters
Comments: 5
Kudos: 90





	Richie's got a date!

**Richie’s POV**

“If you’re not a fag, then _prove_ it! Ask Vanessa out, the most loose girl in the entire school. There’s no way she’ll say no, not even to _you!”_

And thanks to this dare, Richie had a date the upcoming Saturday. Peer pressured by the dumb but intimidating school bully Kevin into taking a girl on a date to prove that he wasn’t gay. Which he totally _was_ , for the record; but being gay year 1989 wasn’t exactly celebrated nor approved of, sadly enough.

After asking Vanessa out and receiving a quite enthusiastic yes, Richie immediately rang Eddie, his best friend (and crush) since years back. Eddie was sick at home and he coughed his: “Hi,” into the receiver when answering. Richie felt guilty for bothering him, but he didn’t know who else to turn to. No one but _him_ knew Richie's secret, and even though Eddie was ill, having him on the line already helped Richie ground himself.

“Hey Eds! Um, sooo- I’m kinda freaking out about something here…”

“Richie? You’re lucky my ma isn’t home, she would skin you alive for waking me! I’m supposed to be resting right now,” wheezed Eddie, and that made Richie roll his eyes.

Eddie’s ma, Sonia Kaspbrak. She was a real piece of work, to say the least.

“Trust me, you’ll _want_ to hear this.”

“I'm not sure I do.”

“I, er- I have a date this weekend.”

The line fell quiet, but Richie’s heart was pounding loudly enough in his chest to more than make up for it.

“That’s- That’s great, dude, congrats! But… why are you telling _me?”_

It didn’t _sound_ like he thought it was great; it sounded like Richie had told him he was changing schools. Richie knew Eddie's tone when he was bummed, and though he tried to conceal it, it didn't fool Richie. The mere thought of Eddie being even the _slightest_ put out to hear that Richie had an upcoming date made Richie smile for the first time today. Not because he was a sadist, but because it gave him this tiny shred of hope that Eddie didn't want him dating someone that wasn't _him_.

Then Vanessa, Richie's _date_ , walked by, blowing him a kiss. Richie was sent back down to Earth, a full-bodied shiver running through his body.

“Why am I telling you? Because I want to boast about this hot sexy chick I'm plowing in a few days," Richie mock-rambled, then he hissed urgently into the phone's speaker: "No, you idiot, it's because my date is a _girl_. _”_

“What?!” Eddie yelled. Or, well, _coughed_ , would be a more accurate statement. Richie nodded before remembering that Eddie couldn’t see him. “Yeah, it was… It was a bet, I guess.”

“Let me guess, Kevin? He said you had to ask her out to prove you're not a fag?” asked Eddie, not sounding facetious at all; but even when the word was used to ridicule their classmate, it still didn’t fail to make Richie wince. He scuffed his sneaker against the dirty floor, replying to the guess with a barely comprehensible: "mhmm."

“Well, we’ll fix this, okay?”

“ _ **How**_ , Eddie?!” whisper-yelled Richie into the receiver, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He knew he was being stupid, but the entire situation felt _unsalvageable_. How was he supposed to do this? He can stay in the closet for his own safety but he can't pretend like he _isn't_ in a closet. That would be disrespectful towards both him _and_ the closet!

Eddie drew a thin breath, taking a moment to consider. Then: “Can’t you- I don’t know, tell her you changed your mind? If Kevin saw you ask her out, that’s good enough, right?”

“No, you moron! He’s obviously gonna ask Vanessa how the date was. So if I don’t go, she’s gonna tell him I pussied out!”

“Ugh, he made you go out with _Vanessa_ of all people? Low blow, dude.”

“ _Eds!”_

“Okay, okay, sorry. I-… I guess I got _one_ more idea.”

Then the bell rang, and Richie dashed to his locker to grab his books.

“You better hurry your ass up and tell me today then, ‘cause I have class!”

You could hear Eddie’s wheezy breathing hitch on the other side of the line, and after a moment, he blurted out: “I can fix someone to go with and we’ll have a double date.”

Richie stopped dead in his tracks. A _double date?_ Consisting of Richie and Vanessa, Eddie and some other girl? God, that sounded like _torture_. The mere idea of having to spend an entire evening watching Eddie be all cute and shit with someone else was enough for Richie’s heart to sink into his stomach.

But it was still a helluva lot better than going to face Vanessa by himself. Richie swallowed. “Okay," he said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, let’s do it. I’ll drop by after school, give you all the juicy deets on what happened, but for now, I’ve gotta run.”

“Wait, you can’t drop by, I’m _sick_ -”

“Smell ya later, Eddie-Spaghetti!” Richie rushed his goodbye, fumbling to balance his books as he pocketed his phone and almost tripping over his own two feet on his way into the classroom. 

* * *

The second Biology class was over, Richie gathered his stuff, said his goodbyes to the rest of the Losers' club, and made a beeline on his bike to Eddie’s house. It wasn’t dark out yet, Sonia should still be at work, which means Richie's got a window. He was in _desperate_ need of reassurance that things were gonna be alright; that taking ‘the most loose girl in school’ out on a date didn’t mean he had to kiss her or anything. Richie seriously didn’t know if he could do that. He's never been good at acting, prefers comedy.

With his bike thrown on Eddie’s lawn behind the house, he walked up the porch step and gave the door a drawn out ‘shave and a haircut’ knock. He could hear a loud groan from the other before Eddie opened the door, and the picture that he painted almost gave Richie a proper anime fucking nosebleed. Eddie was dressed in a blue and pink, stripey pajamas and his hair stuck out on all ends, his nose even a little red. He wiped at his squinty eyes and frowned.

“It’s fucking bright out here, get in.”

So Richie did. He kicked off his shoes and carried them up to Eddie’s room (just in case), where his best friend instantly resorted to crashing onto his bed.

“Damn, you really _are_ sick, huh?”

“That’s usually why people stay home from school, isn’t it?” but the tail end of his retort turned into a coughing fit, and Richie felt a little bad now for forcing him out of bed.

“Hey, don’t push yourself, you can just stay in bed while I rant, okay?”

Eddie curled up beneath the covers, flashing Richie a thumbs up. With his permission, Richie told him everything, explaining just how he managed to get on School Bully Kevin's bad side; not that it was a difficult leap; and he’d like to think he wasn’t to blame for any part of it, but he _did_ tell Kevin to go suck his own dad’s dick, so that would be a lie. He could not stress enough how he absolutely, definitely did _not_ want to go on a date with Vanessa. No offense to Vanessa or anything, but Richie wasn't interested in going out with a girl **_period_**.

However, Richie left out the part where he’d be extremely jealous if Eddie joined him for a double date with a girl of his own. Richie would rather march straight through the firey gates of hell than confess his feelings to Eddie right now.

“Wait, so no one else knows? Not even _Bev?”_

“No, Eddie, no one else knows I’m a raging fucking homosexual!” Richie snapped, his volume rising quickly in an instinct to defend himself.

He immediately deflated, though, and his eyes fell to Eddie’s sheets, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. Eddie wasn’t out to harm him, Richie knew this. He would trust Eddie with his fucking life, but talking about this… with _him_... it was far too painful.

“Well, you know there’s nothing wrong with that, don’t you? I love my ragingly homosexual best friend, and if that’s wrong, you tell me,” Eddie spoke softly, nudging Richie’s chin up and pushing his glasses up for him.

Richie felt his entire face heat up like a goddamn beacon light. Was it hot in here? He swallowed and it sounded way too loud in the quiet room. The two of them just looked at each other for a moment before Eddie cleared his throat, his face turning even redder than Richie’s.

“And uh- Y- You know, I- I’m sure Bev would be fine with it, a- and everyone else in the Losers’ club too! But I understand if you don’t feel comfortable telling them yet…” rambled the sick boy, and Richie suppressed a literal, raw sob. He didn’t think Eddie understood just _how much_ that meant to him. How could he?

“No, I don’t, but-... I’ll work up to it. Thank you, Eddie.”  
  
This time, the silence that followed was a comfortable one, and they just smiled like idiots at one another for a perfect second.

Then you could hear the front door opening downstairs. Eddie shot up from the bed and the moment was over.

“That’s ma! You gotta get out of here!” Eddie hissed, but Richie was already way ahead of him, his shoes on and his ass out the bedroom window. Eddie peeked his head out after him to whisper an apology.

“Don’t worry about it, I already got my bike down here anyway. Kiss your mom for me?”

Eddie gave him _a_ _look_. Then, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure his mom wasn’t already on her way up to his room and turned back to Richie.

“Hey, I’ll be back in school before the weekend, I think. Things'll work out, so don’t go around thinking about it too much.”

“Thanks, Eds,” smiled Richie back, _I love you_ stuck at the tip of his tongue. Nope. Too real. _Way_ too real.

He maneuvered his way down to the ground and pedaled away on his bike before Sonia would be able to as much as _smell_ him, a wide, goofy grin on his face all the way home.

* * *

**Eddie’s POV**

So Eddie’s got a double date with his best friend Richie Tozier and two girls. Not with each other and a lesbian couple, mind you; double date as in Richie’s gay-ass asked out a girl and Eddie had done the same to help his closeted best friend out. When Richie told him about his situation over the phone, Eddie understood almost in an instant that it had something to do with Kevin, the school bully. He and Richie had been at each other’s throats all week, or so Bill had told him last time they spoke over the phone. And Eddie figured Kevin made Richie feel pressured into asking Vanessa out, so of course he had to do _something_. Even if that something was finding a girl who didn’t think Eddie was too much of a coward to go out with, so they could all do a double date.

It didn’t bother Eddie all that much anymore that everyone saw him as a wimp. He’d been raised as one all his life, after all. So it hardly made any sense for people to treat him otherwise. The losers all knew he was more than that, and that was good enough for him.

Besides, Eddie couldn't _disagree_ with the mentioned statement. He _was_ a wimp, and for a whole other reason than all the millions of types of bacteria and diseases he’s been taught there are out there.

And you’ll _never_ guess what it is.

Because he’s pretty sure he’s in love with his best friend. Yes, _that_ best friend. Richie Tozier. Trashmouth. The same glasses-wearing, gay nerd with horrible taste in fashion and puns that he’s going to help out on a double date. Just imagine it; two queer boys on a double date with a girl each. And no, that’s _not_ the opening line for a joke.

The days before their planned double date, however, passed by at a painfully slow pace. Eddie remained sick for two more days after Richie’s visit, then queasy the third and forced to stay home, but after that, he couldn’t do it anymore. School helped pass the time, but not by much. Eddie went to bed as early as he could on the weekdays to reduce the waiting time (much to his mother’s delight) and he even told Bill about the whole ordeal one evening. Not in detail, but Bill caught the memo all the same.

' _So basically, we’re going on a double date. But Richie doesn’t seem all that enthused...’ Eddie explained, careful not to let anything slip that might reveal his best friend’s hidden sexuality._

_‘Yeah, I wonder why,’ Bill replied, sounding suspiciously sarcastic._

_‘What do you mean by_ that? _'_

_‘Oh, nothing, Ed, n- nothing. He’s probably just n- n- nervous. I mean, aren’t you?’_

_Eddie had a feeling it wasn’t nothing, but he didn’t want to push Bill on this one. He swallowed._

_‘Maybe a little, but I’m more excited.’_

Liar, liar, pants on fire. _Bill suppressed a laugh at that one._

_‘Right, sure. It’ll be great, Ed, just... t- text me if you need anything.’_

_Okay, Bill was acting fucking weird. But Eddie bit back his questions and smiled instead, hoping it reached his voice._

_‘Alright. Thanks, Bill.’_

Now, _finally_ , Saturday was here, date night. Eddie’s got a date, his best friend is coming over, now all he needed were some decent clothes. Richie could be here any minute now, and Eddie was still standing in the mirror in his boxers, staring at his own reflection. See, a suit would probably look too much of a put-up job. And it wasn’t really season right now for his red shorts. So a faded band tee and a pair of jeans would have to do just fine. Right as he got into said clothes, he heard the doorbell ring.

“I’ve got it, ma!” he yelled, sprinting down the stairs in a way that would have his mom furious, but he really couldn't find it within him to care.

After finding out his medicines were gazebos or whatever, he was _done_ with listening to her bullshit. So when she shouted at him to walk down the stairs, he just pretended not to hear it.

Swinging the front door open, Eddie was met with a sight he’d never seen before and never thought he would in his life. Before him stood Richie Tozier in all his glory, in a black and white suit. He had ditched his glasses, combed his hair for once and he was wearing a fucking _suit_. He was also smiling, a little blushy and extremely cute.

Eddie would admit, he was _still_ a little squeamish when it came to dirt and bacteria, but right now, the risk of dying from a heart attack while seeing his crush in a fitted suit felt far higher.

When Richie looked Eddie up and down, the blushy smile on his face was replaced by fear.

“Shit, I wasn’t supposed to wear a suit, was I?”

And he was already fumbling to undo his tie, but Eddie tried to stop him, frantically waving his arms in the air in protest.

“N- No, you’re fine! _I’m_ the one who’s underdressed, you look nice.”

His face burned when he said that, but it was nothing short of the truth. If anything, nice was an _understatement_ for how Richie looked right now. Especially when a deep shade of red reached the other boy’s cheeks.

“Next you’ll say water’s green, Kaspbrak. I knew the suit was too much. Look, you’re lending me something caszh.”

Richie was already inside and on his way up to Eddie’s room, so unfortunately, Eddie had lost this battle. By the time he got up the stairs, Richie was already shirtless, one half of his get-up tossed carelessly on the floor, and Eddie stopped functioning for a moment.

This was just cruel. All of that fair, smooth skin that stretched over Richie’s surprisingly toned arms and stomach? And the pout that took place on Richie’s features? Eddie never cared much for labels, if he was gay or bi or even pan, but he was _definitely_ attracted to his best friend. Did that make him Richiesexual? He was pretty sure it did.

Either way, he needed to stop staring and snap out of it. He opened up his closet (ignoring the irony, as he was still deep within his own closet) and gestured to it, looking away from the smorgasbord of temptation that currently took the form of Richard Tozier.

“Uh, you can choose whatever you want, pick your poison.”

“Pick my poison? What are you, a bartender?”

Eddie didn’t answer. He was busy turning his back to avoid staring inappropriately at his best friend. God, Richie was gonna be the fucking death of him, Eddie was sure of it.

“All right, well, is this okay?” asked Richie, spinning Eddie around to face him, and all the air was punched out of Eddie's poor asmatic lungs for the _second_ time this evening. Richie didn't choose anything special, just a pair of ripped jeans (the only pair Eddie _owned_ and had almost never worn) and a tucked in, green shirt. But that wasn't what made Eddie gush.

 _Richie’s wearing my clothes, Richie’s wearing my clothes, Richie's wearing my clothes,_ his mind cruelly assisted him.

“Y- Yeah, you’re good! We should get going, we got a reservation at 7,” he hurried to reply, turning on his heel to hit the staircase, because he could _not_ think about Richie wearing his clothes right now, or how the shirt he borrowed stretched just a _little_ tight across his chest.

Their double date hadn’t even started yet and Eddie was already a mess. He didn’t want to know how the rest of the night would go. After all, there was only one way to find out… 

* * *

The walk to the restaurant was shared in a tense silence, which was almost a little frightening, considering how much Richie loved to talk. Usually, they’d joke around about even the most serious topics (easy to say, Richie’s humor knows no limits, and it's started to affect Eddie more than he'd like to admit) so his best friend’s lack of commentary was unsettling, to say the least. Eddie couldn’t think of any conversation topics either, too busy dealing with his own anxiety to comfort his best friend. He felt like a proper grade-A asshole. He had promised Richie they’d get through this, but he wasn’t even certain of it _himself_.

When they reached the restaurant, Eddie could see their dates waiting for them in front of the fancy-looking entrance. Vanessa spotted Richie immediately and began whispering to Eddie’s date, Lola, which, funnily enough, made Eddie’s stomach churn. Richie spoke low and rushed to Eddie as they approached the two girls: “I don’t know if I can do this, man.”

“Yes, you can. It’s just one date, Rich, I _know_ you can do it. Just leave out any dick jokes and you’ll be fine.”

Eddie’s own response came automatically, the rest of his body stuffing down any panic that welled up in his chest. Neither of the girls were wearing pretty dresses, so he and Richie had made the right call by ditching the suits, at least.

“Hey, girls. Been waiting long?” managed Eddie in a relatively controlled voice, keeping it together mostly for Richie’s sake.

Lola met his eyes, blushing as she twirled a blonde lock of hair around her finger. She looked pretty, there was no denying it, but Eddie didn't get that racing heartbeat that he got when looking at Richie. Which he tried desperately _not_ to, already nervous enough.

“Hi, Eddie.~ No, not too long, we kept ourselves busy,” Lola drawled.

Now it was Richie’s turn to greet his date. He visibly swallowed, fixing his glasses and taking a step towards Vanessa. _You’ll be fine,_ Eddie thought, awaiting his best friend’s next move with bated breath.

“You look great, Vanessa. I mean uh- beautiful. You look beautiful.”

Well,.. it _could_ be much worse. And Vanessa was giggling, her cheeks rosy already, so they were all good. _So far..._

“Should we go inside? It’s kind of cold out here, don’t you think?”

“Oh yeah, it’s _freezing_. Let’s go,” Lola replied with fervor, linking their arms together and _okay;_ this was still fine.

Eddie gave a discreet thumbs up to Richie before they walked in, willingly confronting his death the moment he set foot inside the building.

Once they were all seated at a table and Lola finally let go of Eddie’s fucking arm, he could exhale. He sat opposite to his date and next to the one he _wanted_ to date, practically rubbing shoulders with him. They had already ordered their food and gotten their drinks, so now was the time for small talk. Eddie felt as if his nerve-endings were lit on fire, but he put up a facade of someone who knew _exactly_ what they were doing.

“The restaurant was a nice idea, Lola, everything on that menu looked delicious.”

“It did! Maybe we can get some ice cream to share for dessert later,” she suggested, batting her lashes slowly at Eddie, who forced a smile.

“Sure, I’d love to.”

He noticed things were a little quiet on the other side of the table and nudged Richie in the side to snap him out of it. Things can’t crash this soon. After all, this was both boys’ first dates. They’d have to at least _try_ and make the most out of it.

“So, Vanessa, Rich was just telling me on the way over to you how pretty he thought your hair looked.”

Shit. That was too forward, wasn't it? Eddie didn’t want to _actually_ get them together, so what the fuck was that? Richie sent him a death glare, but Vanessa looked like she had won the lottery. She really liked Richie, didn’t she? Then again, Eddie couldn’t blame her.

“You were?” Vanessa asked, her bestie grinning at the scene that unfolded before her, positively delighted. At least _two of them_ were having a good time on this double date...

“Yeah, it’s really… well-nourished,” Richie tried. Vanessa cocked her head at her date, but thankfully, the conversation was cut short there when the waiter came by with their meals.

The girls were busy looking at each others’ food and taking pictures of it (how fascinating could that be, really?) so Eddie took the opportunity to check in with his best friend.

“You good?”

The boy shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes and Eddie’s chest tightened. He shot him a tight smile and protested: “Yeah, you are,” and to prove it, he found Richie’s hand beneath the table and gave it a quick squeeze.

The contact was torture, but the sweetest kind. And the color that painted Richie’s cheeks in response was worth it. If only they were alone right now, just the two of them…

Remembering where they were and what they were doing, Eddie let go of Richie’s hand and focused on his… this wasn’t his food. He had ordered vegetarian but on his plate was a juicy steak. Richie seemed confused too.

“I think that’s mine, dude,” he giggled, adorably cute and finally laughing for the first time this evening. It was a change warmly welcomed.

“Yeah, our meals must’ve been switched. Here, Rich.”

He swapped their plates, making no fuss about the mistake, and suddenly, Vanessa became incredibly interested in what Eddie had just said.

 _“Oh em gee,_ you guys have nicknames for each other? That’s so cute, I call Lola Lo-lo!”

“And I call her Ness-ness,” Lola agreed enthusiastically.

 _That’s highly unlikely,_ Eddie thought, fighting a grimace off his face at how cringey that was. They actually managed to make Eddie squirm in his seat, and they didn’t even have to mention bacteria or anything. This evening was progressively getting worse, but Eddie couldn’t let that show on his face. They all began eating.

“Is yours any good, Lola?” he checked in with his 'date', but he honestly couldn't care less.

“It’s delicious. Here, try it!”

She waved a fork full of pasta in Eddie’s face. Okay, so Eddie might’ve had that one coming for him. But this was probably the worst to happen yet. He _hated_ eating or drinking from someone else’s meal. Imagine all the germs that could be on that fork… No, fuck that noise, he is _over_ that now.

Eddie swallowed his fear and suppressed a grunt of distaste when he took the fork, Lola’s hand brushing his.

“Sure…”

He gave it the tiniest bite anyone has ever taken of anything and instantly gave the fork back to the blonde, putting on a smile as he forged his way through the disgust. He gave his date a thumbs up, watching Richie and Vanessa in the corner of his eye, who seemed to be having a genuine conversation.

“So, obviously, D&D is far superior than all other roleplaying games, but Magic the gathering is pretty dope too.” Richie went on, his eyes shining. Of course he was talking about D&D, what else?

Opposite to Rich, Vanessa was gushing, apparently a ‘big fan’ of board games as well.

“Yeah, D&D is my favorite too. We have so much in common, Rich.”

Sure, just whip out Eddie’s nickname for him. Why don’t you call him your _best_ _friend_ while you’re at it?

Then, Vanessa moved in for the gold, and Eddie realized that her calling Rich her bestie would have been far better than this, because now she was trying to fucking _kiss_ him, and Eddie could only watch the train-wreck unravel before him.

Richie yelped, turning his head so that Vanessa missed his lips just by an inch. When she kissed the corner of his mouth, the raven-haired boy moved backward, nearly falling off his chair.

“L- Listen, Vanessa, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea or anything, b- but- _fuck_ , you can’t just-” He trailed off, a glint of moisture at the corners of his eyes, and he looked at Eddie for the briefest moment, before shaking his head and taking off. Eddie had to go after him. There was no other option. 

“I think this double date is officially over. Sorry, Lola. Have a great night, girls,” was all he could manage, putting a couple of bills on their table to cover for their meals and leaving the two girls both staring open-mouthed after him to go find his best friend. 

* * *

With his heart in his throat, Eddie checked the bathrooms in the restaurant, but to no avail. So he sprinted outside, panicked when he couldn’t see a trace of Richie anywhere. If they had taken their bikes here, he could at least see if Richie’s was gone, but now, he felt helpless.

He checked the sides of the building but found nothing. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. How could things go so wrong so fast? He promised Richie it would be okay, he _promised_.

Blinking away his tears, Eddie got distracted from the sound of his far-too-fast heartbeat by a faint sobbing coming from the parking lot behind the restaurant. _Thank_ _God_.

There weren’t many cars back here, but Richie had still holed up behind a wrecked scrap of one from who-knows-how-many-years-back, crouched over and too busy crying to notice Eddie jogging over.

“Richie, hey, don’t cry, please don’t cry!”

Richie promptly snapped his head up to frown at Eddie, his cheeks red and wet with tear streaks. Eddie had hoped he’d sound at least a little bit in control to soothe his best friend, but his voice sounded like a prepubescent boy’s, all wavy and pitched, cracking at the end. His heart ached mercilessly in his chest upon seeing Richie so broken, wringing his hands in his lap as he attempted to stifle his crying by biting his lip.

“'m not crying. I mean, I _am_ , but that's just ‘cause I thought of the ending to 'Return Of The Jedi', man,” laughed Richie in a fruitless attempt to keep Eddie from worrying, but that was far too late. Richie was _clearly_ upset, and he had every reason to be.

Not even Eddie had expected that kiss, and though he was worried about his best friend, he couldn’t help the inevitable surge of jealousy that stirred in his stomach when he replayed said kiss in his head.

“Sure, whatever you say, Rich,” said Eddie in a soft voice, checking the ground beside Richie before sitting down, ignoring his ODD telling him he was sitting in literal _dirt_ right now. It was a small sacrifice to make for his friend.

“I’m fine, really,” Richie lied after wiping his face with his sleeve, taking off his glasses to clean them - although Eddie suspected it was more to avoid his gaze.

“But you’re not. And you don’t _have_ to be. Look, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but don’t shut me out, Richie.”

His words came out more pleading than comforting, so Eddie lay a trembling hand atop Richie’s to emphasize what he meant, but Richie pulled back as if he had been burned. Eddie could weep. He _wanted_ to weep.

Richie didn’t look much better for wear himself, eyes wide and hands moving frantically in the air as he began rambling.

“What is there to talk about? I’m a fucking _coward!_ I can’t pretend to be normal and just kiss a girl, I can’t tell _you_ I like you, and I-” the rest of his words got stuck in his throat. He froze on the spot, hands mid-air, mouth agape, before he slapped his hands over his mouth, horror dawning on him as he realized what he had just said.

And as Richie sat rigid, maybe thinking Eddie wouldn’t be able to see him if he sat completely still, Eddie was in shock himself, Richie’s words playing over and over again in his head. Richie… liked him? Like, _like_ -liked him? Was he _dreaming_ right now?

“You… like me?”

“What? N- No, I don’t- pfft, I mean, you _actually_ think I-... I…” but Richie made a wise decision in shutting up when he spotted the deadpan expression on Eddie’s face. After a quick turn of his head towards the street with cars whizzing by, perhaps debating whether or not he should make a run for it, Richie eventually gave a long, shaky sigh.

“Okay. Okay fine, yes, I like you.”

Eddie’s heart swelled an alarming amount upon hearing that confession, those three words that would change everything. He couldn’t believe that what took place this evening transformed into _this_ , but he couldn’t be more grateful that that was the case.

“In fact, saying I 'likeä you is the understatement of the year, I’m fucking _crazy_ about you! And I know I’m not supposed to be, and that you’re straight, and I get that this probably ruined everything, but now I’ve said it, and I can’t take it back-”

“Rich,” Eddie cut him off, grabbing Richie’s wrists that flapped around and halting his movements as well as his rambling.

For the umpteenth time this evening, they met eyes, but this time, it was _different_. Eddie had never seen Richie this openly vulnerable before, so red-faced, so… beautiful. He was absolutely beautiful.

The dim light from the restaurant and the headlights of cars passing by reflected in Richie’s glasses, but beneath those, his eyes were sparkling. It was as if someone had gone up to the sky, taken down each and every star and put them in Richie Tozier’s eyes.

"Rich," Eddie breathed again, tasted it on his tongue.

“Yea?” Richie asked in response. They were so close that Eddie could feel his hitched breath skimming his own lips, and it was _intoxicating_.

Knowing fully well that they could never go back from this (and caring even less), Eddie closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Richie’s.

His hand found its way around Richie’s neck, fingers curling in the soft locks there and holding on tight. Richie tasted of candy and hot cocoa on a cold winter evening, his lips were impossibly soft, and the little noise of surprise that left them was enough to drive Eddie insane.

The kiss ended far too soon, however, as Richie pulled back to ask: “So you _do_ like me? I mean, I'm just making sure...” and Eddie caught himself chasing after his lips.

“Yes, you idiot, now shut up and kiss me again,” laughed Eddie, his face warm and his heart even warmer. Richie gave him the dopiest grin, “Yessir,” he said and dove back in to kiss Eddie, this time hoisting him into his lap, and Eddie gave an: “Eep!” of surprise, his skin burning where Richie touched him.

If Eddie ever had _any_ idea that _this_ was what kissing was, he would have done it a lot sooner. He fret he’d be a bit grossed out with the reality of having Richie’s tongue down his throat - he didn’t even want to _think_ about how much bacteria the exchange involved - but now that it was happening, he couldn't find a cell in body disapproving of it. Besides, he had imagined it maybe once or twice before, but _nothing_ his anxiety-riddled brain manifested could compete with the real thing, and he _never_ wanted it to end.

Unfortunately, Eddie came to realize that they _did_ indeed need air, and now it was him who pulled back, if reluctantly. Richie was giggling now, holding Eddie’s hot face in his hands as he smiled at him, blindingly bright, his glasses askew on his nose. His thumb lightly brushed Eddie’s cheekbone and Eddie found himself leaning into the touch.

“Was that uh-... better than Vanessa?”

“Are you kidding me? _Yes!_ I don’t know how people can ever do anything but this!” Richie almost yelled and Eddie was completely content realizing that he loved him from the bottom of his heart.

“Priorities, Rich.”

“Still not as good as your mom though, I gotta say.”

Aaaaand Eddie's back to hating him again. He shoved Richie in the chest, but that only got him to laugh more. The smile threatening to show on Eddie’s face proved he wasn’t entirely innocent either.

“I can’t fucking believe you. You get me to chase you here and kiss you behind this rusty-ass car, and _this_ is the thanks I get?!”

Now they’re both laughing, hugging each other like they both could disappear at any given moment, and it might not be perfect or ideal, but it’s _them_ , and that’s more than enough for Eddie.

“Fine, you can be number one, but Ms. Kaspbrak is still a close second, okay?”

“Shut up, oh my God, shut up!”

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I completed one of my works, so I apologize if I'm a bit rusty. All comments/critiques are warmly welcomed and appreciated! :)


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